In a world where marketing is constantly all around us, Integrative Nutrition recognizes the need for students to develop the skills to make their business stand out among the rest. We believe the services and products that our graduates offer are essential to making positive change, so the Health Coach Training Program aims to help students reach their business goals.
2010 graduate Heather Dubé, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, had a previous background in marketing and branding before enrolling at IIN. During the program she was able to really build on these skills, and now she’s thriving as a business owner, a functional nutritionist, a competitive figure athlete, and a writer for On Fitness Magazine and Livestrong.com. Read on to hear about the successful business skills Heather has developed, and for her tips on getting published!
What were you doing before Integrative Nutrition?
I was naturally healing five severe autoimmune illnesses successfully through nutrition therapeutics, and prior to that I worked in marketing communications and branding. Outside of my professional marketing work, my husband and I have a lifetime of work in both fitness and nutrition including research work, instruction, and mentorships.
What led you to enroll in the program?
I have many education paths and certifications related to exercise physiology, coaching psychology, and holistic nutrition. IIN caught my eye because it was bringing together an army of people globally who care deeply about changing the world and creating a healing awakening towards the human body’s ability to be well and live in homeostasis. That is a key part of our You & Improved Coaching, LLC mission, and I wanted to be a part of that. As a holistic nutrition school, IIN has put holistic nutrition on the map in a way no holistic education possibility has before to reach the masses and open minds.
You have several certifications and have gone through a few different training programs. How does your IIN experience stand out?
The comprehensive nature of the marketing, finance, business, and education pieces, particularly the focus on helping you succeed in business. They recognize and address the need for marketing for business success. Also, the community and the continued connection opportunities to that community post-graduation are far beyond your expectations and champion success in the graduates. The support offered post program is just incredible.
What have you accomplished since graduating from the program?
I’ve earned a US National Level Figure Athlete status, have been featured in a coaching industry expert magazine that has also featured Deepak Chopra, Dr. Christiane Northrup, and Jack Canfield, was asked to be an industry expert writer for a number of magazines including On Fitness Magazine and Livestrong.com, opened a training studio in Scottsdale, AZ, and have supported professional athletes to meet their performance goals through nutrition program design.
Describe the business you have founded.
You & Improved Coaching, LLC offers distance and in-person programs that pair best practices in body transformation and functional medicine to improve fat loss, fitness, and performance. Our mission is to deliver comprehensive, bio-individualized, science-based holistic human body solutions to maximize natural fat loss and health results.
How has the marketing training enhanced your business, on top of your existing background in the field?
The training gave me the tools to get started right away. We've since originated and developed all our own branding, but the turnkey marketing and business materials IIN provided were a tremendous foundation to begin with, and made it possible to get right to work with clients in a professional, organized, time-saving manner. There is no way in the beginning years to have funding to invest into branding and full marketing campaigns. It's so critical that IIN provides that foundation to start on.
Any tips for other Health Coaches looking to get their writing published and market themselves?
As far as writing, I was blessed to do a lot of writing in my work prior that allowed me to jump off from, but if you have no prior experience, I would suggest accessing industry resources that educate on writing. There are many! Then practice and find your voice, and finally, self-promote with persistence. Seek out the publications that fit your mission or message authentically. Don't just write to write or it'll prove counter-productive. Define what makes your business and brand unique first, then research online for the publications that share your mission and audience so you can truly connect with the people you're meant to serve!
What do you love about your work?
So many people are not aware of what the human body is capable of. They have expectations that have been formed by society and doctors, not by actual experiences with nutrition or body transformation. Giving them that gift is amazing. When they awaken to the potential of what their body can do metabolically, either in healing, fitness, or weight loss, it's incredibly empowering. Both my husband and I feel blessed to be able to do this work with our clients, and to educate trainers and fitness professionals around the world on holistic topics.
Do any special clients or moments of success stand out in your mind?
The healing moments we've created are something we've found more meaningful than the weight loss and body transformation. Just hearing from a client how free they finally feel after clearing the confusion, frustration with food, or symptoms they've struggled with is amazing, particularly with our female clients- as it always improves how they feel in their relationships.
One particular client that was so rewarding was a distance client of ours in NYC who is a professional performing musician. He'd been having problems with a frustrating dermatitis all over his face for six months that was completely debilitating to his work, confidence, and energy. He'd gotten no answers from medical doctors for months and was at his wits end. We helped him make some healing shifts in his nutrition and environment, and within two weeks, his skin issues healed.
Another client was a young girl who struggled with weight her whole life. We put her on a custom nutrition, nutraceutical, and fitness program, which she fully committed to 110%, and in just 16 weeks she lost 25 pounds and 19% body-fat. Her visual transformation was stunning, and super rewarding.
Connect with Heather
On You & Improved Coaching, LLC
On Facebook
On Twitter
On YouTube